Remember When: Steere, Youree developed important neighborhoods

Remember when you were first old enough or smart enough to learn to read street signs? Your neighborhood was the first point of recognition and then your surrounding streets. Kings Highway was my clue to getting close to my house. Soon as we drove over the Kansas City Southern tracks between Southern and Samford I knew I was on my way to Williams Street just one block away.

Shreveport's street names provide a fascinating peek into the personal lives of our city's early developers. Streets were named after friends, favorite vacation destinations, the Great Lakes, favorite states and cities. I even found a Joanne Street in Bossier City years ago, only now it is long gone. I might guess that as a reader you are thinking of street names in Shreveport. Am I wrong to guess that you came up with Youree Drive, which definitely is the longest street in town? I looked on a map, which is fairly current, and Youree begins at the east end of Flournoy Lucas Road and continues to where it joins Spring and Market streets - almost to town! But who in the world was Youree or Peter Youree? Our population should be aware of him because his "reign" lasted from Reconstruction until his death in 1914. (Martha Cotton is my source of information from an Oct. 20, 1962, Shreveport Times article.) "He was a gentleman - king with a flash of color and spirit that helped start the transformation of a riverfront town into a busy, modern city, which it is today."

Being a member of the Missouri regiment, which surrendered in Shreveport at the close of the Civil War, his Confederate money had no value. All he had was his horse and his saber, which he sold as he started out to see the city. As he was walking on the wooded sideway on Texas Street, he was approached by a man named Herald who remembered Pete. He traded the illegal brass buttons on his uniform for bone ones, and they became lifelong friends.

Youree was an enterprising young man knowing when to buy and sell. In 1866 his talents advanced him to be president of Shreveport Merchant and Farmers Bank, where today's Blind Tiger Restaurant now sits. This bank, later in 1886, developed into Commercial National Bank. He was president until his death.

In 1877 he bought the Shreveport Street Railway, which made Shreveport the first Louisiana city to operate electric streetcars - the basis of Shreveport's present-day transit system. His partners were the Jacob brothers. This system eventually became SporTran.

In 1887 Youree and a group of businessmen built the city's first waterworks - the McNeill Pumping Station.

In 1910 the Youree Hotel building was started and completed in 1911. Youree built a 10-story steel-reinforced masterpiece with marble arches. It was one of the major buildings of the South.

Pete Youree had a profound impact on Shreveport. He was the first person to use the "Greater Shreveport" description of our city.

Youree was also responsible for building his home, "Youreeka," which was located on the corner of Jordan and Fairfield streets where the United Gas building once was and now the Louisiana State Building stands. This building is still enclosed by Youree's original iron fence.

Active and interested in Shreveport's future, he was a member of the Caddo Parish Police Jury and the Chamber of Commerce. As the largest taxpayer in Caddo Parish, he proposed levying a road tax for the purpose of paving parish highways.

Pete Youree died in 1939.

His good friend was A.C. Steere, to whom he sold his extensive cotton plantation. That's why Steere named his main thoroughfare in his new Broadmoor subdivision Youree Drive.

But what about that other name with which we come in contact practically on a daily basis? Ever heard of Albert Coldwell Steere? He settled in Shreveport with his parents and sisters from up-state New York. And settled he did. As a young man he began buying land, and by 1923 he was the prime developer of Broadmoor, South Highlands and Glen Iris with his partner Elias Goldstein.

Broadmoor was named for the Broadmoor Hotel Resort in Colorado Springs, Colorado, which the Steeres enjoyed as a vacation destination. His Broadmoor development was complete because of the elementary school, which after Steere's death was renamed A.C. Steere Elementary School.

To complete this new subdivision, Steere added the Broadmoor Country Club (now Querbes Park) in 1925 with a golf course, swimming pool and beautiful buildings, one of which is still standing. He also named many streets in this area: Grover, named for the manager of the country club; Zeke, for his handy man; Avery, for his gardener; and states - we live on Pennsylvania - families, Great Lakes, an ocean, counties in England, good friends and himself.

In 1917 he bought the water rights and later built the Cedar Grove/South Highlands Waterworks. Other neighborhoods he built were Highland, Fairfield and Queensborough. No wonder he was referred to as the "foremost real estate developer of the early 20th century in Shreveport."

A prominent developer and builder, A.C. Steere introduced the American square-style house. The one story was a square structure referred to as a "bungalow," and the two story, a "Foursquare."

His first family home is at 1040 Hart's Island (East King's Highway), but he never lived there. Today it is the Carmody Home. His permanent residence was 910 Ockley.

This developer was quite interested in building a happy neighborhood. Goldstein had just built a home at 818 Unadilla, Pam Brown's home. With a wonderful piece of land between the two homes, these men developed a park, naming it Betty (Goldstein) Virginia (Steere) Park. If you've never visited it, now is the time before it gets too hot.

The late Eric Brock's "Shreveport" book has provided much of this information I've shared with you. His comment tells it all: "One can only speculate what other developments might have occurred in Shreveport had Steere lived." (He suffered deeply from the Great Depression and took his life). "This also halted Goldstein's plans for our city's growth. Their legacy lives on in all the neighborhoods they created."

Steere held his fellow man in such high regard in planning his neighborhoods, which included recreation and schools that have had a hand in educating those young residents of his creations. A.C. Steere Park, which adjoins the school, is also available for an enjoyable visit. It is bordered by Youree Drive and Grover Street.

I love Broadmoor.

Joanne Sigler lives in Shreveport.

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Remember When: Steere, Youree developed important neighborhoods

Remember when you were first old enough or smart enough to learn to read street signs? Your neighborhood was the first point of recognition and then your surrounding streets. Kings Highway was my